Top-of-the-table tussle ahead

By Stephanie Smarrelli 

Undefeated in the opening six rounds, the West Coast Fever sit comfortably on top of the food chain. 

But the Melbourne Vixens are eyeing off top spot. 

While the rest of the competition desperately battles it out to stay in touch with the ladder leaders.  

The Fever and Vixens headline Round 7, but they're not the only unmissable clash with the grand final rematch and Battle of the Bruce also on the agenda, making for an epic weekend of netball.  
 

THE TWO BEST SET TO TANGO 

It's the top of the table clash fans have been waiting for with the rivalry between the Vixens and Fever continuing to grow with each meeting. 

The Vixens need to put last weekend's match against the Lightning behind them to seriously contend with the ladder leaders.  

The Melbourne side have been toe-to-toe with the Fever on the ladder until last week, falling short against the Lightning in a loss that many didn't see coming. 

But it's those losses that build a team's resilience and makes them hungrier for the win, something the Fever haven't experienced yet this season. 

Fever came close to it, with a one-goal win over the Thunderbirds last weekend, their toughest match yet. 

Both the Vixens and Fever have been hampered by injury with the Fever last weekend missing Kelsey Browne who has been instrumental in delivering the ball to Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard while the Vixens were missing unsung hero Kate Eddy. 

Fever without Browne for a second week were able to find their rhythm and thread the ball down to Fowler-Nembhard with ease through Alice Teague-Neeld and Jordan Cransberg. 

While the Vixens struggled without Eddy forced to rotate Jo Weston, Rudi Ellis and training partner Gabby Coffey through the wing defence bib. All three are undoubtedly skilled enough to play in wing defence but they primarily are all at their best as circle defenders.  

The gains and intercepts continued to flow through goal keeper Emily Mannix but they lost the ability to shut down one of their opposition's key players. 

The best way to shut down the Fever is to stop the ball from landing in the hands of their feeders on circle edge and with Eddy expected to miss again this weekend, the Vixens will need to find a way to shut down Teague-Neeld who is responsible for the second highest number of feeds in the league this season. 

The team that can consistently make the most of their gains, cover any injuries and work the ball in smoothly are likely to come out on top adding more pressure to the Vixens who have the Thunderbirds closing in on the ladder.  

With pressure on the Vixens midcourt, the heat will turn up on Mannix who will go head-to-head with the league's best shooter Fowler-Nembhard. Both players are having stellar seasons setting up what's sure to be a spectacular match up on Sunday afternoon. 

Almost all of Fever's goals last weekend dropped through Fowler-Nembhard with Shanice Beckford only shooting two but while she may not make it rain in the goal circle, Beckford runs circles through the attack end keeping opponents on their toes. 

Down the other end of the court, the Vixens shooters work hand in hand. Garbin does most of the scoring, but Austin is known for scoring the clutch goals when the pressure is on. This will put pressure on the Fever defenders to prevent Austin from finding room in the Suncorp Super Shot zone but focus too much on Austin and run the risk of Garbin letting loose and doing the same.  

Win this week and Fever will ride a wave of confidence through to the second half of the season being the only team undefeated but if the Vixens can get on top, it'll give confidence to everyone else that they too can defeat the Fever. 

The Thunderbirds failed to do it last week and the odds are against the Vixens who have not defeated the Fever in Perth since 2022.  
 
But if there's a team capable of rising to the occasion and bouncing back from a loss, it's the Vixens who won't want to lose and give the Thunderbirds a chance to move up the ladder at the season's halfway mark.  

THE REST OF ROUND 7 

Round 7 is choc-a-block with tantalising matches. 

Starting the weekend, the Lightning host the Firebirds in the Battle of the Bruce. The two Queensland sides will go head-to-head with the Lightning aiming to add another string to their bow with a win following last week. While the Firebirds are coming off four straight losses and need to find their mojo if they want to avoid the bottom of the ladder. 

Then it's a Saturday night showdown between last year's grand finalists the Thunderbirds and Swifts. The stakes got higher and higher each time they met last year with the side's playing out multiple extra time matches including the heart-stopping premiership. The Thunderbirds will be looking to bounce back from a loss last week while the Swifts are fresh off a win. Sitting in third and fourth on the ladder, a win here will go a long way in helping both teams stay among the top.  

Then on Sunday the Mavericks host the GIANTS. The Mavs are starting to find their feet with two wins on the board while the GIANTS are chasing their second. The teams should match up well against each other, with them both needing the win to climb the ladder. 

All teams will be celebrating First Nations Round this week, read about the 2024 SSN First Nations Round artwork here.